Human+Kind

Human+Kind is an Irish skincare brand that makes vegan, plant-based products built around a multi-tasking idea: a small range of formulations meant to replace several single-use creams. It was created by two Dutchmen, Rene van Willigen and Jeroen Proos, who started the company while living in Cork, Ireland [8]. The brand trades under the parent company Zeon Healthcare and is based in Mullingar, Co. Westmeath [1].

The company positions itself around affordability and simplicity, describing a "Kind to Your Skin. Rooted in Ireland" message and pitching its products to people tired of overcomplicated, wasteful routines. It remains active, running a direct-to-consumer and retail e-commerce business that ships across most of Europe.

The idea for Human+Kind came from a household complaint. According to a 2012 feature in The National, co-founder Rene van Willigen conceived the brand after listening to his wife and sister complain about the number of skincare creams they owned and that most contained chemicals. He spent roughly six months researching ingredients before recruiting Jeroen Proos, a marketing specialist, and the two set up the company together. Van Willigen, originally from Amsterdam, and Proos, from Goes in the Netherlands, built the brand while both were living in Cork [8].

The company has consistently framed itself as Irish despite its Dutch founders. Editorial coverage describes it as "an Irish skincare brand created by two Dutch men" [7], and the brand's own tagline leans on the same identity.

Human+Kind launched commercially in Dubai around mid-2011, roughly ten months before the April 2012 article that documented its early growth; research and development had begun "a little more than two years" earlier [8]. No source states an exact founding year, but the timeline points to the company taking shape around 2010 to 2011.

By 2012 the company employed about ten people in Ireland and was selling in the Netherlands, Singapore and Malaysia, with export support from Enterprise Ireland. Later editorial coverage also records distribution in the United Arab Emirates [7].

Human+Kind operates as a trading name of Zeon Healthcare, the registered parent company [1]. No acquisition history is documented in available sources.

The brand's location appears differently across records, reflecting its history. The brand site lists a current address in Mullingar, Co. Westmeath [1], while the company's FAQ page gives a registered address in Waterford alongside the Mullingar one [6]. The original founding took place while the founders were based in Cork, as recorded in 2012 press coverage.

The brand builds its positioning on a small, multi-purpose product range. The premise, as the company frames it, is that paring a routine down to a few well-formulated products removes the need for many single-use ones. Editorial coverage summarises the target customer as someone "tired of wasting time and money on unnecessary products" [7].

Human+Kind sets out five stated values: compassion, sustainability, transparency, quality and affordability. On affordability, the company says it aims to make "conscious choices accessible to everyone." Products are described as natural and vegan, formulated without parabens, synthetic colours and fragrances, and without ingredients tested on animals.

The range centres on multi-tasking creams, oils and body products. Recurring items include an All-in-One Family Remedy Cream marketed for concerns from eczema to athlete's foot, an All-in-One Anti-Ageing Cream positioned as a combined night, eye and day cream, body oils described as suitable for body, hair and face, and a Body Soufflé and body washes.

The brand highlights more than forty natural ingredients, naming Acmella Oleracea — which it presents as a natural alternative to Botox for the appearance of wrinkles [9] — alongside centella asiatica, rosehip seed oil, aloe and plant butters and oils. The company states its formulations are "92–99% natural" and says its results have been tested by dermatologists to support a hypoallergenic classification. Products are priced below €30 and sold through pharmacies and health shops as well as online [7].

The line is certified by The Vegan Society [3], and the company describes its formulas as cruelty-free.

Sustainability is one of the brand's stated pillars, and several specific commitments are documented. The company says it is moving to packaging made from sugarcane tubes and recyclable polypropylene lids, and that its gift boxes are certified by the Forest Stewardship Council and made in Ireland to cut transport emissions. It also reports a reforestation partnership, stating it has planted 250 trees with Reforest Nation [2].

Human+Kind won an Irish Tatler Beauty Award in the multi-tasking category for 2012/2013 [9]. The brand's founding and early international expansion were covered in a 2012 business feature in The National.

The brand is active. As of 2026 it runs a direct-to-consumer and retail e-commerce site with current copyright, a "new" product collection and ongoing sustainability initiatives, shipping to most of Europe with a stated plan to reopen US sales. Its documented commercial footprint has spanned Ireland, the Netherlands, the United Arab Emirates, Singapore and Malaysia.